And Me
by falln-angl
Summary: Set during, and the around the end, of the episode ‘Adrift’.


Disclaimer: Not sure who claims ownership over the rights to _X-Men: Evolution_ - Marvel, WB, and whoever else - but just know that any recognisable characters, places, whatever else, do not belong to me.  
**Author's notes:** I suck at writing accents.

And Me 

'Hey, are you okay?'

Rogue looked up, confused. 'What?'

Kitty gazed at her with suppressed concern. 'Are you okay? Cos you were, like, totally spaced out for a minute there.'

She stood and strode past the young teen, heading towards the door and out of the room. 'Ah'm fine.'

'Are you-'

'Ah'm going out,' she said, sounding brusquer than she intended. She had been feeling uneasy all morning about something, but couldn't quite put her finger on the cause. Pulling on her overcoat as she passed the common room, the flickering TV images caught her attention. She paused at the side door and peeked in. The Professor and Storm were in front of the large television set watching silently. Out of the corner of her eye, Rogue noticed Evan and Jean across the room, also peeking in through the other side door.

'…teenage boys are still missing,' the news reporter informed them all, and it was all she heard.

Scott.

Rogue pulled back, away from the door. She could feel her heart beginning to race as the implications of what she'd just heard hit her. It was _him_. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she could feel it. Scott was in trouble, was in danger. Her uneasiness grew. She had to do something. Anything.

'Storm, get Jean. We must hurry,' Professor Xavier's voice commanded from the common room.

'I'm here, Professor,' Jean's voice said clearly, having obviously stepped into the room.

'So am I. I'm ready,' Evan added boldly.

'Evan, I want you to stay here. Tell the others of what's happened,' Professor Xavier said.

'But-'

'Don't argue, Evan.' Even Rogue heard the warning in Storm's voice.

'Alright, Auntie O.'

'_And what about me?_' Rogue asked silently, feeling a slight bitter taste in her mouth. '_Or am I not good enough?_'

'Oh. Rogue, there-'

However, before Evan could finish his sentence, Rogue tightened her coat around herself and sprinted outside, out into the cold. She knew the younger students were having a snowball fight at the front, so she turned and headed for the forest that was located just to the southwest of the mansion. She wanted to be alone, hoping that she could transform her feelings of almost-blind panic into one of just friendly concern. She didn't care about Scott in _that_ way at all. Not in the least. Not at all.

Rogue took deep breaths to calm her rapid heartbeat, but it was no use. In fact, without any distractions, it began to race even faster. She could almost feel her whole body actually humming with nerves and tension. Wishing to expend some energy, Rogue increased her pace, hurrying between the trees, turning intermittently as space made itself available, breathing hard through her nose. She was walking in an erratically shaped circle, trampling and retrampling over her own footprints in the snow. She kept walking, walking, walking.

Suddenly, her breath caught in her throat as a drowning sensation swept over her. She stumbled, her left foot twisting on an exposed root. She landed hard on her hands as she reached out instinctively to keep herself from falling on her face. She swore under her breath.

Breathing heavily, Rogue lay on her stomach for a moment. She closed her eyes, willing her heart and herself to be still and keep calm. With a tired sigh, she finally pushed herself up, feeling melted snow soak into her gloves. She stood, using a tree for support. She warily placed some weight on her left foot. There was a slight twinge, but nothing that a little rest wouldn't fix.

She leaned against the tree and closed her eyes. In the still silence of the forest, her mind filled with thoughts of a boy – almost a man – and images of a face that refused to disappear. She wasn't sure what it was exactly about him that drew her so completely. His kindness and generosity? His friendliness? His honesty? The fact that he was the one person whom she trusted implicitly?

'Be okay,' she whispered. 'Please, just be okay.'

After awhile Rogue felt the cold and wet seep into her skin, made worse by the growing gusts of wind that generated dancing snowflakes. She began to shiver. With great reluctance, she made her way back to the mansion.

'There you are!' Kurt's familiar voice called out. 'Vere have you been? I've been so vorried! You've been gone for hours!'

Despite herself, she managed a smile at the person whom she considered a sweet, albeit often annoying, younger brother. 'Went for a walk.'

'Look at you, you're all vet and shivering.' Kurt hurried towards her. 'Someone vould think it vas you who nearly drowned. Come on, ve must get you inside.'

Before she could react, Rogue found herself transported to inside the mansion and in front of the large fire in the surprisingly empty living room. She felt the heat on her face almost straight away, but she turned to Kurt, her mind filled with questions regarding his earlier comment.

'Is he okay? He's alive? You said he nearly drowned? But he's okay, right?' Her words ran together almost incomprehensively, so desperately did she want to know of Scott's condition.

'He's okay,' Kurt said, looking at her with a strange look on his face. 'They have just returned. Jean is vith him.'

Rogue turned away, the bitter taste returning in the back of her throat. Miss Perfect and Popular herself, Jean Grey. Of course.

'Rogue?'

'That's great news.' She hoped her voice didn't sound as strangled as she'd felt.

'Are _you_ alright?'

'Ah'm fine, Kurt.' She started to walk away. 'Ah'd better get changed.'

'Vait, Rogue! I vas about to visit him. Vhy don't you come vith me?'

She paused, momentarily lost in images of a happy welcome. 'Nah, you go ahead,' she said.

As she started up the steps, Rogue realised that her uneasy feelings of that morning had diminished.


End file.
